Reasons for C/s

^^^
Thanks for your advice.

Still got sooo long to go, so not even really thinking about it now. But I do have a docs appointment early march to discuss the birth plan, so I guess it will hit me then.

Midwife is encouraging me to express milk a couple of days before I have C section, so that even though I won't be awake, atleast baby can still have my milk via bottle (and husband).

Did anyone having trouble bonding with baby after C section (specifically, after c section with general anaethestic)?

Edited by lhw312

I had a lot of trouble bonding with my first (crash c-section, not quite a general as I'd already had an epi, so was just 'topped up' while being wheeled to theatre) but I didnt see him for the first 24 hours, hold him for the first 48 hours, then at 5 days old he was declared healthy and I was on my way home trying to cope with a traumatic experience as well as deal with a baby I didnt know what to do with!

#2 was an elective and my bond with her was instant, if not pre-existing during pregnancy...

19 months after #2 was born there is still a very marked difference between the bond I have between my 2.

I think as McShort said, if its planned and known ahead of time how the delivery will go then it may not hinder the bonding process at all, if bubs is happy and healthy from the get-go, then maybe you could ask that you be allowed skin-to-skin as soon as you come out of general (with someone helping to hold bubs obviously as generals leave you feeling woozy for a while!)

Expressing prior to a c-section is a great idea as it means there is some milk there for bubs right from the start, c-sections dont allow the 'natural' chain of hormones that would normally occur during a natural labour and birth to induce your milk to start being produced, so expressing prior means you can establish a small supply. I did this prior to having #2 and my midwife was really surprised to see that i had colostrum at the ready even with a c-section.

pretty sure you dont have to have a morphine pump. I had one for my 1st c-section and when I had my gallbladder out last year and hated it. Morphine makes me sick and itchy and feel like I have no control over any part of myself. (At one point I realised I'd had my fork sitting in front of my mouth for a few minutes, mouth wide open, but had 'zoned out' and forgotten I was even eating!) With #2 I had a pethidine pump I believe and pain-wise it held virtually all of it at bay, but I had full control, and none of that horrid spaced out feeling!

I have no idea how long my first took, I remember being rushed off to theatre, then my next memory is lying in recovery wondering wtf just happened, and wow... my tummy is so flat! (Another reason why I always refuse morphine if there are any other alternatives! I hate memory loss!) With my 2nd I walked into theatre at 9.10am, had the epi administered (that alone took 1/2 an hour cos they kept mucking it up!) then hooked up to HR monitor on finger, BP cuff on other arm, and she was out at 9.49am, I was in recovery by 10.30am.

I was allowed my midwife and DP as support people (as it was an elective, my midwife wasnt allowed to be there in a midwife role, she was there simply as a support person) so I would think 2 people would be fine? Might pay to ring the hospitals maternity team and find out from them, as they'd know all the rules and regulations (Mine was at Middlemore)

I was allowed a camera at mine (one of the hospital midwives took lots of photos and a short video of them putting DD up by my head), but I'm not sure what their rules are regarding cameras when you are under a general... again, might pay to ask the maternity team, or even discuss with the OB when you see them?

mcshort wrote: lhw312 have they said they want to do a general? It's pretty rare to have an elective with a general is all...

Yep, only way for me to give birth as i've had a spinal fusion, so cant have a spinal block or epidural.



Edited by lhw312

Yeah im honestly not too worried about it at all.. Since up until about 30 years or so ago they only did C sections with generals, as they didnt have epidurals then. I know of a few people in my family who have had it done with a general, just because it was the only way they did it back then.

I had an emergency c-section for failure to progress and a distressed baby. Turned out he was also posterior, had a flexed head/neck and was pretty big so just wasn't gonna come out!

Fingers crossed for a smaller baby in a better position this time

chelle wrote: I had an emergency c-section for failure to progress and a distressed baby. Turned out he was also posterior, had a flexed head/neck and was pretty big so just wasn't gonna come out! Fingers crossed for a smaller baby in a better position this time

Have you heard about the book "Sit Up and Take Notice" by Pauline Scott? It's got some really fantastic advice on how to encourage optimal foetal positioning - I used it with both my pregnancies (but with the second he was a mover and shaker, and would change position every other day right up until 41 weeks...) it has some great ideas and straightforward advice and reasons.

And remember that scans are estimates too, if you're really keen on having a VBAC then get second opinions etc and discuss all the options thoroughly. Best of luck!!

Great news Carlie!
Hope the rest of your pregnancy goes smoothly

From memory, I was allowed 1 person in with me for my c-s (emergency, with an epi - Mum came in) but if I needed a general for any reason, I wasn't allowed anyone - possibly because of the nature of the surgery?? I went into theatre at about 9am, and the girls were born at 9.30am and 9.31am. I was on a morphine pump and it was bliss. I had skin to skin for 2 hours with both girls straight after I got out of recovery (I think it was about 10.30am??) even though I was not with the world in the slightest and they were both hooked up to monitors and other stuff (born at 33w4d).